Lucky Coin

The owner of the gold coin

Watching La Pei's mother leave, the ghost approached La Pei's bedside and said with a hint of envy in its voice, “I finally understand why the lucky coin chose you. In a way, you’re a lucky kid; it’s clear your parents love you very much. Although your family is poor, it is filled with warmth.”

La Pei casually covered his ears; he didn’t want to listen.

“That’s useless; we’re communicating directly through our souls, so it doesn’t matter what your ears do,” the ghost's voice continued to come through.

The ghost sighed lightly and said, “Having this coin is a bit like gambling; you need to have something to bet with, which means you need to have enough luck to start with. That little pickpocket has decent potential; he’s bold, quick-witted, and agile, but unfortunately, he doesn’t have the luck to back it up.”

“You could go look for someone else; there are plenty of people in this world who are luckier than I am,” La Pei muttered angrily.

“That won’t work; unless you die, the lucky coin cannot find another owner. Even if you want to give it away, it will always return to you,” the ghost explained patiently. For a dead person, time is always abundant.

“Looks like you don’t really believe me,” the ghost laughed.

In the next instant, La Pei, who had been pretending to sleep, found himself in a dreamlike world.

Everyone around was dressed in clothes from centuries ago. In front of them stood a huge wooden frame, atop which was a pillar tied to a person—a young, beautiful woman with very short hair and a brand on her face.

La Pei did not know who the woman was, but for some reason, upon seeing her figure, his heart trembled, and he felt an impulse to prostrate himself and worship her.

“That is the former owner of the lucky coin, a righteous, kind, and idealistic girl. She had nothing, her only wealth was her unwavering faith. She obtained the coin, fulfilled her dreams, saved the country in its most critical hour, and led the nation to victory time and again. But in the end, she was met with betrayal—betrayed by her own people, betrayed by the country she saved…” The ghost gazed intently at the girl tied to the pillar.

“I don’t want to see this anymore.” La Pei felt a pang in his heart; he knew who that girl was. She was a hero he admired deeply, a great figure revered by future generations as the "Saint."

“Alright, I’ll show you another owner of the lucky coin,” the ghost said, becoming more agreeable. The surrounding scenery instantly transformed into a high platform, where an executioner sharpened his axe beside a tall man standing on the platform. A judge seemed to be persuading him about something.

“This is a person who obtained the lucky coin but tried to resist the arrangements of fate. He only wanted to live a peaceful life, be with the woman he loved, start a family, and have children. Unfortunately, escaping fate isn’t that easy. In his land, the lord had the right of the first night over the women in his territory. His wife refused to comply and ultimately died a tragic death. From that point on, he embarked on a path of revenge.” Unlike before, the ghost spoke of this man in a very relaxed tone, even carrying a hint of glee.

La Pei already knew who the person before him was; this man was also a hero, but not one he admired.

“Do you want to see more examples?” the ghost asked with a smile.

“No need,” La Pei decided to bow to fate.

The knight who was about to be beheaded was different from the “Saint” he had just seen. That “Saint” had an impeccable character, a noble personality, and a brave heart. This knight, however, was a legendary figure. The assassin who had rampaged through the square during the day would be nothing but a nobody compared to this knight; he would perish within three moves. If someone like him couldn’t escape the arrangements of fate, La Pei had even less hope.

“The problem is, I don’t have that kind of strength,” La Pei felt a deep sense of anguish.

“Strength can be accumulated over time. Having the lucky coin means you have infinite potential for the future,” the ghost said, looking pleased.

“You make it sound easy. Who’s going to teach me? You? I don’t see any strength in you,” La Pei wasn’t worried about offending the ghost with his words.

“You don’t need me to teach. The lucky coin contains the memories and insights of all its previous owners,” the ghost replied casually. “If it weren’t for this, how could a sixteen-year-old farm girl, who had never been on a battlefield before, lead a disadvantaged army to victory time and again, saving her country in its hour of need?”

“Her brilliant command came from the memories in the lucky coin?” La Pei asked in surprise, not expecting to uncover the truth of history.

“Well, not entirely…” The ghost's tone became vague. “The lucky coin is just a catalyst, a means of inheritance, but how much you can actually gain depends on you, on your talent and effort.”

“What about you?” La Pei countered, feeling certain that this guy had no combat skills or magical abilities.

The ghost looked a bit awkward. After coughing for a moment, he weakly said, “I specialize in politics and diplomacy. My background is slightly better than yours, but not by much. I am a descendant of a fallen family; my father was deeply in debt and committed suicide. When I got this coin, I had nothing but a once-glorious surname and past honors, along with a pile of debt. However, everything I have now is earned through my own efforts.”

La Pei was slightly taken aback. He remembered what the little pickpocket had said earlier, and it seemed this guy was not just lucky to be born into a good family.

“Why didn’t you learn some self-defense techniques?” La Pei asked.

“What good would that do? You’ve already seen the strength of that assassin,” the ghost argued, though he regretted it. Had he known it would come to this, he would have definitely learned some self-defense skills. But he stubbornly added, “Even if you’re strong, what’s the point? That beheaded guy was a legendary knight, nearly invincible in his time, and look what happened to him—he was captured and executed!”

This was a reasonable argument, a strong one that made La Pei ponder deeply. Now that he had become the master of the lucky coin, his first thought had to be how to stay alive.

That legendary knight not only lost his head but also had his heart ripped out. The saint was a holy knight who was sentenced to burn at the stake, alive on the pyre. History books say she “ascended pure,” but the scene he witnessed made him doubt whether that saint had suffered humiliation in her past.

“Are mages stronger? Are they harder to kill?” La Pei asked.

“They are indeed powerful. A single fireball can easily kill a dozen people. But when it comes to not dying, that’s not guaranteed. Once a mage is close to an enemy, they are doomed. Besides, there are firearms now, especially rifles; a sharpshooter can take them out from hundreds of feet away,” the ghost had no expertise in combat but had common sense.

“What about assassins? They seem to be experts at escaping, so they should find it easy to stay alive, right?” La Pei continued to ask.

The ghost understood La Pei's thoughts. To be honest, he had pondered the same things in the past. Perhaps every person who obtained a lucky coin had faced such choices.

“Don’t waste your effort; there’s no absolutely safe profession in this world. Knights rely on armor and steeds. Without those, their strength diminishes by more than half. Many knights die not on the battlefield but through schemes and treachery. As for warriors, whether they are heavy armored warriors, tower shield warriors, polearm warriors, or greatsword warriors, they are all cannon fodder. Compared to knights, they have no horses to ride and cannot even escape. Archers, crossbowmen, and gunmen have similar fates to mages; once they are up close, it’s over for them. However, there are some powerful branches among them, such as mounted archers and dragon knights, who combine the tactics of archers and knights and have swept across the world, invincible. Then there are jungle warriors, named warriors, whose main means of attack is archery, but they are also good in close combat. The last two professions are assassins and swordsmen; they may not have a strong position on the battlefield, but they are quite formidable off it. However, both of these professions have one problem: they fear mages.” The ghost wanted to prevent La Pei from taking a wrong path, so he explained it in detail.

“The assassin who tried to kill you doesn’t seem to fear magic,” La Pei found it strange; he didn’t think the ghost had any reason to lie to him.

“Those mages who only shoot fireballs are nothing but idiots, fools, imbeciles, and trash—defective products mass-produced by the army. They can’t be considered real mages. If it were in Marn, that guy wouldn’t have escaped at all.” When the ghost spoke about being stabbed, he became extremely angry, cursing and using various derogatory terms to describe those two mages.

“Well then…” La Pei pondered for a moment and then asked somewhat uncertainly, “What if I study both swordsmanship and magic at the same time?”

“You’d just end up making yourself useless,” the ghost replied disdainfully. “Everyone has limited energy. Whether in swordsmanship or magic, if you want to achieve something, you must invest a large amount of energy; it’s impossible to juggle both.”

La Pei fell silent. He absorbed this, but he didn’t fully believe it. Among all these combinations, only the pairing of a mage with a swordsman or assassin seemed the most perfect.

“What kind of magic is most useful against assassins?” La Pei asked. Since he had already accepted the lucky coin, he had to consider how to complete his tasks. The ghost’s claim that assassins feared mages shouldn’t be just empty words.

“Why are you asking me? Just find the answer from the lucky coin itself. There must have been assassins among the previous owners of the lucky coin; you can see how they died. There must also be mages; see how they dealt with assassins. You should be able to get the answers.” The ghost had no intention of misleading La Pei; he had some understanding of magic, but not completely.

“How do I use this?” La Pei fiddled with the coin.

“Place it in the palm of your right hand, then rest your right hand behind your head so that the coin is pressed against the back of your neck. Think about what you want… then go to sleep,” the ghost explained carefully.

“That sounds quite convenient,” La Pei nodded.

Following the ghost's instructions, La Pei pressed the lucky coin against the back of his head. As soon as his head touched the pillow, he fell asleep, which was clearly another effect of the lucky coin.

In a daze, La Pei felt himself becoming an assassin—a true assassin, a highly skilled one, knowing almost everything an assassin should know.

What surprised La Pei was the variety of assassins, some of whom were quite different from one another.

Some assassins behaved nobly, spoke elegantly, and were well-educated, making it impossible to discern that they were assassins. They were skilled in disguise and performance, able to transform into another person in an instant. Most of their killings were done with poison, and their weapons were often exquisite, posing no outward danger.

Other assassins excelled at infiltration and ambush, always sneaking up from behind, often using daggers or setting traps and mechanisms. Some of them were skilled with bows, crossbows, or firearms, preferring to kill their targets from a distance.

The assassin La Pei had seen during the day resembled more of a swordsman.

In an instant, La Pei transformed into a swordsman, mastering all the techniques of a swordsman. Swordsmen could adapt to any environment, were agile and quick, and if they couldn't win, they could escape. Like knights, swordsmen were proficient in horsemanship. Like pirates, they excelled in climbing.

Soon, La Pei made his choice.

La Pei chose the poison techniques of the first type of assassin and the infiltration skills of the second type of assassin, both of which could be learned without too much effort.

Most importantly, La Pei chose swordsmanship.

At this moment, La Pei’s mind was filled with everything related to swordsmanship, from basic movements to complex sword techniques. The numerous sword techniques dazzled him, ranging from simple military swordplay—brutally straightforward and unpretentious—to the magnificent court secret sword techniques, which were dazzling and varied. There was also the holy sword technique, which was intricately linked and continuous. Each sword technique had its strengths and was suited to different situations; for example, military swordplay was appropriate for the battlefield, while court secret swordplay was suitable for dueling…

La Pei did not forget the ghost's advice. Seeing so many sword techniques, he understood that having too many choices was not necessarily a good thing; to achieve something, one must focus their energy on a single pursuit.

Thus, La Pei made his choice—the one that suited him best.